protract

verb

pro·​tract prō-ˈtrakt 

prə-

protracted; protracting; protracts

transitive verb

1

: to prolong in time or space : continue

2

: to extend forward or outward compare retract sense 1

3

archaic : delay, defer

protractive

prō-ˈtrak-tiv 

prə-

adjective

Synonyms

• lengthen
• extend
• prolong
• increase
• stretch

Choose the Right Synonym for protract

extend, lengthen, prolong, protract mean to draw out or add to so as to increase in length.

extend and lengthen imply a drawing out in space or time but extend may also imply increase in width, scope, area, or range.

extend a vacation

extend welfare services

lengthen a skirt

lengthen the workweek

prolong suggests chiefly increase in duration especially beyond usual limits.

prolonged illness

protract adds to prolong implications of needlessness, vexation, or indefiniteness.

protracted litigation

Examples of protract in a Sentence

the highway project was protracted by years of litigation

Recent Examples on the Web

This protracted and complex process, according to the think tank, means employers are all but required to grant temporary work visas (such as the H-1B) to their employees before securing a green card, further drawing out these waiting times. —Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025

Zombies are what happen when a juvenile life stage is unnaturally protracted. —Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025

There are many reasons to distrust Netanyahu: his habitual lying; his willingness to prop up his coalition with religious zealots and racists; his brutal, protracted prosecution of the war in Gaza, a strategy that seems motivated in no small measure by a desire to cling to power. —David Remnick, New Yorker, 28 July 2025

Even more learners will benefit from the supports of a Multi-Year Resilience Program delivered by UNICEF and a consortium of partners with funding from Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises hosted by UNICEF. —Forbes.com, 16 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin prōtractus, past participle of prōtrahere "to drag forward, draw or pull out, bring into the open, prolong, defer," from prō-, prefix denoting forward movement + trahere "to drag, draw, take along" — more at pro- entry 2, abstract entry 1

First Known Use

1540, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for protract

• abstract
• attacked
• attract
• contact
• contract
• detract
• distract
• enact
• exact
• extract
• hijacked
• impact

Kids Definition

protract

verb

pro·​tract prō-ˈtrakt 

: prolong

Medical Definition

protract

transitive verb

pro·​tract prō-ˈtrakt 

: to extend forward or outward

the mandible is protracted and retracted in chewing

compare retract